1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesters and more specifically to structure for preventing cotton harvester row units from plugging when operating in relatively high yield cotton.
2. Related Art
Cotton harvesters such as the John Deere 9960 Cotton Picker include row units, each with a unit housing having a forward row-receiving area opening into a plant passage. Upright picker drums on one side of the passage pick the cotton from the plants. In tall, high yield cotton, the plants often are higher than the upper extremity of the row-receiving area so that the plants must move downwardly into the passage. As a result, bolls often break off and are lost. In addition, the concentration of cotton at the uppermost part of the plant passage overloads the top of the drums and causes frequent operation of the row unit slip clutch which results in premature wear and reduced productivity of the harvester.
Attempts to alleviate the problems of heavy cotton concentration at the upper part of the row unit have included placing a rod across the upper part of the row receiving area or supporting a deflector wheel forwardly of the unit housing to force the upper parts of the cotton plants downwardly. However, green bolls often break off when the plant encounters the rod, and rod installation often requires adding holes to the existing unit. In addition, trash can accumulate around the rod area. The wheel is relatively cumbersome and expensive.